Trending Now

You are here

Building Snake River's band program

THOMAS – Snake River band director Randy Brady has wasted no time making big improvements to the Snake River School District band program and the community can hear it for themselves at a concert Wednesday. It begins at 7 p.m. in the Snake River High School Auditorium. The concert features band students in seventh through 12th grades.
Brady's first job upon graduation came last year as director of the Snake River band program. Taking things one step at a time, he is committed to creating a program that offers new opportunities and excels.
Starting this year, Brady expanded the program to include fifth grade students. Previously, band students started in the sixth grade.
“The program is building slowly,” said Brady. “My real focus is on making the upper level classes better.
“The community sees the pep band,” he said. “That’s where the spark of interest in band begins.”
Brady also started a drumline class the first trimester this year. He said the drumline performance sparked excitement among the students as well as the patrons.
He is also seeing more interest in the younger levels because of the pep band. Currently, there are about 130 students participating in the band program, grades five through 12.
The program is going to be built from the bottom up, he said. “For example, the seventh graders will make a difference when they get into high school.”
Brady explains that fifth grade is a real beginning band and in the sixth grade students are building musicality.
“By the time these band students are in junior high, we’ll be cooking,” Brady said.
Brady said he encourages students to be well-rounded. In high school, Brady played in the band and also played soccer, ran track and played baseball.
“This is a good program for me because it allows room for me to grow as a teacher,” said Brady. “I can experiment with my teaching to learn what I want to do with it.
“The program is growing,” Brady said. “I work hard to do the best for everyone.”
Band students from seventh through 12th grades will be featured at a band concert Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Snake River High School Auditorium.